What is the due amount if the original specification of the dowry is deemed invalid?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Dowry (Mahr)
Primary text
If the specification is deemed invalid, the wife is entitled to the customary equivalent dowry (mahr al-mithl).
Supporting text
Those who upheld the validity of the ambiguous specification (where it was slightly indeterminate) mandated that the wife receives the median value (al-wasaṭ) of the named item. For slaves, the median is the Sindhi, as the highest are Turkish and Rumi, and the lowest are Zanj and Habashi. Al-Qadi stated that if the husband offers the monetary value of the slave, the wife must accept it, drawing an analogy to how the value of a camel is accepted in lieu of Diyah.